Epic Launches Game Self-Publishing Tools

Curious to launch a game? Now may be a good time to start.

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Steam is the juggernaut amongst digital game storefronts, no doubt about it, and Epic Games is looking to challenge that with their new self-publishing tools. For $100 (the same cost as Valve’s tools), users can submit a game for inclusion in the Epic Games Store (EGS) library.

Epic has two rules that Valve doesn’t impose on publications. Epic will not sell pornographic games, and multiplayer games must have crossplay with other PC stores. Epic has a free solution called Epic Online Services for cross-launcher multiplay games, however, developers can use their own online system if they’d prefer. It’s also good to note that, unlike Steam, Epic Games has no ban on blockchain games and allows developers to use their own payment processes for in-game transactions. Publishers will get to earn 88% of the revenue generated from game sales on the storefront, and for those with a knack for cross-platform marketing, it sounds like Epic is looking to support game discovery happening on places like Twitch and YouTube as opposed to, say, the Discovery Queue that Steam has set up in their marketplace.

There are other caveats to consider when choosing between Epic and Steam for self-publishing. For one, Epic has alluded that they will be pickier about “quality and functionality” during their review processes, with a tester playing each submission for 20 minutes to determine quality, alignment, etc. While Valve has similar processes in place, it seems Steam is a bit more relaxed and has said in the past it doesn’t want to make judgment calls about taste or quality. EGS has other prohibited content, but it’s fairly common sense bans such as illegal content, scams, etc. Basically, don’t upload malware, porn, or a shotty dupe, and you’re probably fine.

You can read the full Epic Games press release reviewing the ways that users can get started. The Epic Games storefront will likely experience a striking increase in inventory, and it’ll be fun to keep an eye out for some sleeper indies that’ll hit big.

Are any game-dev Aliens here on Arena? Think you’ll publish your game through EGS? Or, maybe, you have self-published a title in the past and have tips and tricks for newcomers. Drop some wisdom in the comments below!